During their car reveal, Red Bull announced they’d partner with Ford once the new engine regulations come into play in 2026. As it appears, the American car brand will assist Red Bull Powertrains, the F1 team’s engine manufacturing operations, once they enter.
Ford has a decorated history in the sport. Their 40-year-long service has made teams win 10 constructors’ championships and 13 drivers’ championships, including Michael Schumacher’s first-ever championship.
Thus, they can easily be called the veterans of the sport, even though they have been away for almost 20 years. Their reputation precedes them and could be why Red Bull went for them ahead of 2026.
However, before this, Red Bull was in partnership with Honda. They are still using their engines and have won the last title. Yet, they are still not partnering with them even though the Japanese brand is there for the 2026 engine regulation meetings held by the FIA.
Christian Horner explains what Ford & Red Bull’s partnership will mean going forwards 🤝 pic.twitter.com/JNSg4ivKMz
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 3, 2023
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Why did Red Bull not go for Honda? Explains Christian Horner
Despite having considerable success, Red Bull isn’t going for Honda in 2026. While Red Bull boss Christian Horner acknowledges their contribution, he claims that there is a massive logistical challenge in associating with Honda.
“Honda announcing their withdrawal from the sport makes it very difficult to have half the engine say designed in Japan and half in the UK would be logically very very difficult to achieve,” said Horner to AMuS.
The Red Bull team principal then claimed they had talks with Honda to explore every option. However, both sides agreed that they wouldn’t be able to conclude something.
Why is F1 a huge business expansion platform for Ford?
Horner then was quizzed about why Ford is a suitable partner for them among all the interested parties. The Briton revealed that Ford is aggressively trying to expand their EV range.
Therefore, the new regulations needing electrification to power 50% of the engine would need the expertise of Ford, who has gained significant experience in this area.
So, by making Ford an Original equipment manufacturer, Red Bull plans to bridge the gap against Mercedes and Ferrari in the competition, who have in-house expertise in engine manufacturing.
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